Stoned In Paradise
by Anzel Wolveine
Summary: The gang gets together every Friday to hang out and talk, so it's not surprising Edd would catch an eye or two. (KevEdd, Nat belongs to c2ndy2c1d) (one-shot)


**Eh, a random idea. Nothing special. Just an alternate universe of sorts. If you wonder, yes, I _am_ knowledgeable about the subject matter, but from Double D's view. It was in the past, so no, I haven't been around these things in years, but I know them. I'm not proud of this, but I'm not about to trash it after bothering to write it :P**

 **One-shot unless otherwise strongly requested. Dedicated to the song "Stolen Dances" by Milky Chance, because imagining Kevin and Edd dancing to it was the inspiration for this. It'd be Adorkable.**

* * *

It always seemed that Friday evenings would carry that ritual. It started almost a year and a half ago, and though I still occasionally question the logic behind our little get-togethers, I can't fault the results.

You see, almost two years ago, Eddy stumbled upon something quite...taboo. And, fortunately, he turned to _me_ for advice. This taboo subject? Marijuana. He had somehow procured a book on the subject, and had been reading. Shocking, I know; but when he's dedicated to something, he will do outlandish things as such. I am very, very glad he turned to me, however. I don't want to imagine him ever having been caught.

We set up in Ed's basement. It was spacious, and his parents truly didn't care what he did down there, knowing the...condition...of his bedroom and adjoining rooms. Sarah was tight-lipped as well, these days. She had her own bad habits, ones we all knew, but kept quiet. It was a trade-off. Jimmy kept quiet as well because, as impish as the boy could be, he did not wish jail upon anyone.

Now, I suppose you are wondering to yourself, what would drive someone like myself to even imagine dabbling in something so illegal? Well, it is because I am so educated that I know the truths about it, and...I happen to know my parents are supporters as well. They would hopefully never know, but if they ever did, I know they would stand beside me. The medical benefits, and simply the mood it brought unto people...I've found no reason to fault it. But this knowledge gave me all the more reason to hide it well.

We made sure to purchase the lights discreetly, and used plant pots we acquired from Rolf. He was actually quite accepting of our endeavor, all things considered. No, we didn't keep what we were doing as _silent_ as I would have liked, but Eddy seemed to have this gift at knowing who would keep their mouths shut about these sorts of things. So I trusted him. I couldn't shut him up, so it was all I could do to tolerate the information spreading.

Curtains, lighting with a timer, the proper soil, watering, books...at last, we were set.

Eddy found the venture profitable, but I refused my share of the profits. Ed had taken to caring for the plants, his loving nature translating into very healthy greenery, strangely enough. He took his share of the profits, but didn't do anything with it. He saved it. I'd say it was a smart move, but tomorrow he could buy a zombie statue and I could be made a fool.

And now that I've described thoroughly our situation, I will continue where I left off...Friday evenings.

The group has been the same for a while now: Me, Eddy, Nazz, Kevin, Nat, and occasionally Ed. Nat was the first to join in, and pulled Kevin and Nazz along after a few groups. The idea was that Eddy would bring a bit over, we'd all talk, and simply enjoy the evening.

I never partook; I had no need to. Oftentimes it was potent enough that I got a secondhand high, without having to fill my lungs with warm, choking smoke. Even imagining that makes me gag, so I'm happy to not join in. The effects it had on others; the smoke, that is; was pleasant. Singing, smiling, laughing...laziness. Fortunately I was permitted to bring healthy refreshments so they didn't snack on sweets and various other things when they got the "munchies", as silly as that term is.

So this evening, we were all there sitting around a table in Ed's basement. The door upstairs was dead-bolted shut. Nat, Nazz, and Kevin all shared a couch. I sat alone in a comfortable chair, and Eddy sat on a loveseat with Ed, amusing as that sounds.

The subject for the evening? The dance.

"So like, there I was, struttin' my stuff down the hallway, and Jenine clings to my arm and is all like, 'oh hun, do you have something you wanna ask me?', and I'm like, 'yeah, don't touch me scumbag,' I mean seriously! She's such a skank, haha!" Kevin's laughter reverberated around the room, Nat throwing his arms up dramatically as he gasped.

"Oh, oh, I got one! Lily, you know her? Girl with the sweet name and the sour attitude? Tried to flash her eyes at me in Social Studies, I gave her a response, not sure she caught it, but," he proceeded to scratch his eye with his middle finger to act out what he did, "girl needs to back off. What is it about the skanks and dances? They need to get their frilly dresses and dance with each other. I mean, Nazz, baby, you're nothing like them, what do you think?"

Nazz smiled innocently, before a devilish smirk played across her face, "I think they need to go find a player, get played, and see if they still wanna play the damn game."

We all laughed at that one. Though, to be honest, it was hard _not_ to make us all laugh. I would always laughed due to politeness, and everyone else would laugh from the bong passed around the room. And when someone couldn't hold it; the smoke, that is...the laughter was utterly contagious. I'd always feel bad for the person trying not to laugh whilst in a coughing fit, but the atmosphere simply kept us joyous about...practically everything.

"Pfft, girls don't know what they're missing. Might just go with Lee again." We all rolled our eyes at that one. Eddy and Lee had been on-and-off for a while now. She was good for him, and somehow she could deal with his crap, so we were happy about it. Eddy just didn't want to be 'held down' by a relationship, but we knew how things really were.

"Ask Jenine. Bet she'll get on her knees for ya dude," Kevin laughed as he spoke to Eddy, and Nat made a short motion indicative of...well, _that_ act. We all laughed again.

"Ugghhh it's too quiet in here, loves, Imma put on some jams!" Nat popped a CD in and turned it on. At least it was something more normal this time around; sometimes the stuff he brought to play was rather...peculiar.

Nazz spoke up, "So Ed, you gonna bring May?"

Ed just kinda stared at nothing before fumbling out a reply, "Probably. I think she wants to...yeah."

He didn't get the same effect from smoking as the rest of the group. He became more reserved and thoughtful, which was...honestly, it was odd. We worried about him the first time it happened, but eventually we learned he _did_ enjoy the feeling. We tried to keep him involved in the group when Friday came around, but sometimes he'd just zone out. Thus why he wasn't always "there" with us.

Nazz giggled, "That's great, Ed, I'm sure she'd love to go. And how about you, Double D?"

I tried to stay the silent observer as best I could, but Nazz's politeness always dragged me in. I breathed in the smoke-laced air to try and steel my nerves before replying to the beautiful blonde, "I'm afraid I've no such plans. Marie is going with Jack, and I'm not much of one to dance, anyways, so..."

"Oh come on, Double D, don't chicken out on us!" her sweet voice was infectious.

"Yeah, Double Sweetie, I bet your cute hips can shake it like the makers," Nat wiggled his eyebrows at me and I went red, blinking away the comment. It's not as though I didn't expect that comment from Nat. I mean...he's Nat, he says anything and everything, I simply didn't agree.

"I believe I shall spend that evening with my books. I can dance with words quite happily."

Kevin shot me a raised eyebrow, "So what, you scared?"

"Pardon me? ...no, I am _not_ scared, Kevin. I simply see no reason to dance when I'm not any good at it."

I saw Nat push Kevin up, and he stumbled for a moment. Nat snickered. Kevin shot him a glare and smiled, rolling his eyes, looking my way.

"Come on, Double Dweeb, I'll show you how to dance."

Nazz cheered and Nat watched on baited breath. Kevin walked over to my chair, where I'd pulled my legs up against my body.

"Y-you can't be serious. Eddy-"

Eddy reached for a baby carrot from the veggie dish on the table, "Don't be a chicken, Double D. Show Shovel-chin what you're made of."

These days, the nicknames meant little, but it did rile Kevin up a little. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up; now Nat was cheering. Kevin put his hands on my wrists and pulled me to an open area behind the couch. Everyone was looking back. The contact high did so little for me, my confidence was not where it needed to be for this!

His hands moved to my sides as the song, "Stolen Dance," began. Fitting, the name there. I watched his feet move, his body, and tried to mimic him as best I could whilst swallowing my heart down. He moved my body along with the song, before realizing just how unresponsive I was being, and he decided to grab my hands.

"Chill out, man. Just go with it." I heard the chorus move in, and worried, cringing my eyes. I let them flicker open for a moment, and they caught his. He smiled serenely, comfortingly. He pulled me closer and I blushed.

Nazz and Nat had gotten up at this point, dancing a little ways away from us. The small room felt crowded now, but at least it distracted me from my nervousness. Kevin moved fluidly with the song, and I tried my best to keep up. His smile was lovely, really...I had never thought myself thinking that before, but I suppose I'd never had a reason to truly _look_ at it before now.

Nazz slipped by and grabbed my wrist, pulling me away as Nat took Kevin. I saw Eddy look at us with a cocked eyebrow, as though we had all lost our minds. I suppose that's what finally got me to smile. I suppose we had lost our minds, but merely to good times.

Nazz pulled me close and whispered, "I think he likes you. You should ask him to the dance, Double D!" I barely comprehended what she said, it was such a foreign thought.

I blushed and stuttered out, almost a little too loudly, "I'm afraid I disagree-"

"Just do it, I bet you he'll say yes. Now show me those moves, haha!" I watched Nazz's body, and lost track of my own. If I was dancing, I didn't know, but I did hear Nat whistle.

"Double D, baby, you just needed to loosen up. My turn, I want some of that sweet stuff!" Nazz spun me away unexpectedly, and I found myself face to face with Nat. He smirked, biting his lip, "If I could steal you right now I would. You have no idea," he said with predatory eyes.

I could swear I heard Kevin grunt behind me, but I knew he was dancing with Nazz...so why would he do that?

Nat's fingertips expertly slid down my slides and behind my back, as his body moved with mine...a bit too closely for comfort. I could smell his cologne, light as it was on his neck...I was way, _way_ too close. I pulled back.

"I-I believe I've proven my point now, I can't dance. I'm going to take my seat back."

I moved to, and Kevin caught my wrist, "Nah, you're sitting next to me, Dork. You hide too much."

And that's how I found myself sitting between Nazz and Kevin, with Nat perched like an eagle on "my" seat. Nat then proceeded to make himself comfortable, stretching the length of his body over the arms of the chair. I looked down at the floor, rolling my eyes at his silliness.

Nazz nudged me, eyes prodding towards Kevin. I sighed, and leaned my head back against the couch. Kevin looked at me incredulously.

"So you goin' to the dance Dork?" His eyes said something to me...it made me wonder. But I was afraid.

"Actually, I think he was gonna ask you something, Kevin," Nazz's smile was mischievously angelic.

"Oh yeah? What's that Dork?"

I would have given my left lung for a toke right then. The thought of asking Kevin something like this was beyond me, I could never! I suppose I froze for too long, as Nat decided it was time for him to chime in.

"He's too shy. Too many people around, let the little dear ask later. Now Nazz, who's this brown-haired Stallion I've been hearing about? With the hazelnut eyes?"

And the topic changed, just like that. The bong was passed around again, and I felt myself relax a bit more from the smoke in the air. Just slightly, obviously not as much as them, but enough to calm my nerves. Someone had to be sober of mind in this silly group.

Another hour passed, and the evening came to a close. I went to the closet and retrieved a spray I had specifically for these nights, to rid us of the scent, if only temporarily. I was not having anyone caught on my watch. It was passed between us before we made our way out. Ed was asleep on the loveseat at that point, we we simply turned the lights off before we left through his basement window. A tight fit, but better than going upstairs and spreading around the pungent odor of weed. The dead-bolt was almost always in place in order to keep the basement, and its secrets, hidden.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Kevin looking at me.

"So D, what didja wanna ask me?" He cocked his head.

"Oh, I, um...it was something Nazz said, really, it's not something..." I felt my nerves coming back full-force.

He squeezed my shoulder, which served to calm me, if only slightly, "Chill, man. I don't bite."

I took a deep breath, hoping that the words themselves didn't bite me, "Nazz said I should...mention the dance to you."

He cocked his head, "Okay?"

"Like...if you have a date..."

"Oh..OH, yeah, no. I don't. Why?"

His eyes were piercing, and it did nothing to still my heart. I fiddled with my fingers, "Umm...would you...like to...oh dear, oh goodness I can't do this."

He snickered, "You askin' me, Double D?"

I gulped, "At request of a certain blonde...yes."

"Sure man."

"..what?" My eyes widened, shoulders going slack.

Kevin smirked at me, "Yeah, I'll go with ya, Dork."

I bit my lip, hard, as a subtle smile of disbelief took hold. The silence took hold, and I found myself at a loss for words. I hadn't been expecting that response, after-all. Fortunately, he spoke again, for both out sakes.

"Well...catch ya then. I'll give you a call to make plans," he put his hands in his pockets awkwardly, smiling a little wider.

He shifted, as though to go home, but still stood there, eyes flicking around, before he took a deep breath.

"By the way, Dork, you _can_ dance," his eyes caught mine. We just stood there for a moment, under the stars, two young teens in a midnight dream.

I let my smile soften, my voice clear and confident in the silence of the evening, "For you, Kevin...I suppose I can."

And, for you...I suppose I will.


End file.
